Mrs. Ivalene Chitwood Elrod, 91

Mrs. Ivalene Chitwood Elrod, 91, of Vidalia, currently Atlanta, passed from this life to her heavenly home with Jesus Feb. 19 at The Fountainview Center for Alzheimer’s in Atlanta.
Ivalene raised her five children in Hazlehurst. In the 1970s, she graduated from Valdosta State University with a degree in psychology She began a career in the nursing home industry where she truly found her calling. In 1979, she moved to Vidalia where she travelled throughout Georgia as an inspector of nursing homes. She excelled in her field and served in this capacity for many years. She often was asked to speak at state conferences and events. Ivalene was a diligent advocate for patients who were unable to voice their own concerns.
Ivalene was a dedicated mother to her five children Deborah Martina (Bill) of Roswell, Dan B. Elrod Jr. “Danny” (Phyllis) of Evans, Joanie Elrod (family friend Ashley Leonard Taylor) Vidalia, Marion Starnes of Ft. Mill, S.C., Clifford “Cliff” Elrod (Janelle) of Dawsonville. She took great pride in being a grandmother to her 10 grandchildren and her 13 great grandchildren. She is also survived by a devoted sister Lauriece Chitwood Aguirre (Ben) of San Antonio, Texas, and a brother and sister-in-law Don (Martha) Elrod, of Gainesville.
Late in life, she met Jim Cox at church and he was the light in her life. She was devoted to him, and he to her, until the ravages of Covid 19 in 2020 took him away and Ivalene had to reside in an Alzheimer’s nursing home in Atlanta.
Ivalene’s ashes will be interned in the Chitwood family plot in a private ceremony at Lebanon Baptist Church in Fort Payne, Ala.
The family wishes to thank the staff at The Fountainview Center for Alzheimer’s for their love and care while “Miss Ivalene” was residing there. She was truly loved during her time at Fountainview and she loved the people who took care of her. She always lit up when her children and other relatives as well as friends came to visit.